Palmyra: An Irreplaceable Treasure

Product Description

Located northeast of Damascus, in an oasis surrounded by palms & two mountain ranges, the ancient city of Palmyra has the aura of myth. According to the Bible, the city was built by Solomon. Regardless of its actual origins, it was an influential city, serving for centuries as a caravan stop for those crossing the Syrian Desert. It became a Roman province under Tiberius & served as the most powerful commercial center in the Middle East between the first & the third centuries CE. But when the citizens of Palmyra tried to break away from Rome, they were defeated, marking the end of the city`s prosperity. The magnificent monuments from that earlier era of wealth, a resplendent blend of Greco-Roman architecture & local influences, stretched over miles & were among the most significant buildings of the ancient world until the arrival of ISIS. In 2015, ISIS fought to gain control of the area because it was home to a prison where many members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood had been held, & ISIS went on to systematically destroy the city & murder many of its inhabitants, including the archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, the antiquities director of Palymra. In this concise & elegiac book, Paul Veyne, one of Palymra`s most important experts, offers a beautiful & moving look at the history of this significant lost city & why it was & still is important. Today, we can appreciate the majesty of Palmyra only through its pictures & stories, & this book offers a beautifully illustrated memorial that also serves as a lasting guide to a cultural treasure.